The Toddlebike2 is probably one of T’s most favourable modes of transport bar being carried! Whenever we take the Toddlebike2 out with us and give T the option to ride it he’s on it from the start to the very end of our walks.
Watching T grow with the bike has been fun to watch. He started riding the bike by sitting on the central bar, however at almost two he now sits comfortably on the seat! It’s only then when I realise our toddler has grown!
Even before T started nursery we knew he’d pick up a few things that would be out of our control. Things like colds, stomach bugs, and nits were expected; although I’m pleased the latter has yet to hit us. Hand Foot and Mouth and Chicken Pox, however, that was our six-eight month treat!
But what’s really frustrated me about nursery recently, more than the disease (although this got particularly annoying after the third week of illness), is other children’s habits.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t meant to sound like a moan about parenting decisions. At the end of the day children will pick up all sorts – the child T has picked something up from very well may have picked it up from someone else too! But when your child picks something up; like a word or phrase, that you don’t use in your house, especially when it’s not particularly nice, it gets your back up.
We’ve never said this to T in an effort to hold onto something. It’s generally; “that’s so and so’s” or “that’s not a toy”. So when T came home one week and started grabbing things and shouting “mine!” Or hiding things behind his back I was really shocked.
T has nicely picked up “MINE!” from nursery before hiding something behind his back. Not impressed. 😡
— LesBeMums (@LesBeMums) February 28, 2017
Not only is it really aggressive but I worry what’s suddenly being taken from him that he feels he now needs to verbally mark his territory!
On the same note as ‘Mine!’, we’ve recently noticed T taking toys from us and shouting “Share!”.
We’ve been known to say this a lot more when play dates or his cousins come to play, but only if it’s up for sharing. We’re more of a ‘who had it first?‘ kinda family.
Probably the biggest shock since T started nursery is when T gets frustrated he can’t have something and then hits our leg (before falling to the floor in a heap).
If he has something that he knows we’re going ask him for; like a dog bone or a random piece of food found from under the sofa, he’ll suddenly hide the item behind his head and then try and hit out before we get near!
This is what happens when we leave T to his own devices.
I still wouldn’t change our nursery. T is in a really good one despite the above, and the good things definitely out weight the bad. He’s constantly learning lots of new (pleasant) words, he’s confident, he’s learning about colours and shapes, and even repeats them back to us. It’s incredible.
It’s just frustrating when all your hard work goes to down the drain when the toddler that comes home is one that likes to suddenly poke eyes!
K
Before T was born we always loved the idea of having a baby book to detail milestones and achievements. Not just the big things like walking and talking, but the little things like the first time we went to the park, what the number one song on the charts was, or what the world was like before they arrived!
We enjoyed the thought that T would one day have a look at the book and not only recoil in horror at what the number one was in April 2015 (it was Jess Glynne: Hold My Hand) but have a little smile at the things we got up to as a family and see how proud we were of his achievements – big or small.
When it comes to books, T is a complete bookworm. He adores all sorts of books, from pop up books to books with doors and flaps. Bedtime books that have a long story, to short board books that encourage you to interact with it. He loves a book.
Part of the reason we think he enjoys reading with us is because we enjoy it too. We thoroughly enjoy snuggling on a sofa under a blanket and reading his favourites like; Elmer, Dear Zoo, Where’s Spot, and One Ted Falls Out of Bed. We’ve written about his favourites before and I can tell you now they haven’t changed!
He currently enjoys kissing every character in ‘Rabbits nap’.
Ever since T was little I have always been the one to forget T’s monitor. It’s usually because I’ve spent so long getting him down that I want to get downstairs to finish my wine juice. This often results in going back upstairs (think of the calories) and collecting said monitor.
If my pyjamas (I’m not going to lie, they come on as soon it’s 7pm) don’t have pockets then I will most definitely pick it up and then put it down somewhere else around the house. It’s only when T starts grumbling or it runs out of batteries that we then find the monitor!
The Babbleband is a first of it’s kind. A wearable baby monitor, launched in June 2016, that comfortably sits on your wrist so you can get on with things such as exercise, gardening, or simply sitting on your backside without a monitor digging into your thigh or calling you from the across the room because you’ve forgotten it. Again.
Last month I wrote about how I often don’t feel like ‘me’ these days, how I feel like I’ve filed away ‘Kate’ and replaced it with ‘T’s mummy’. The Parent. Sure, that’s no bad thing – I love being a parent – but sometimes when I’m yet again picking up toys and snot rags I miss the days when I did things for me.
The drawing, the reading, the nights out. I miss it. Some days more often than not. I also miss talking. Talking about things that aren’t parenting related! I’m not asking for politics (we have enough of that on tap right now) but instead last nights Big Bang Theory or where I’d like to travel to. There is a person behind this parent after all.
To continue this theme I’ve asked lots of bloggers to explore the person they are behind the parent and kicking off the feature is the lovely Colette from We’re Going on An Adventure…
